- A taxi driver with a previous conviction for rape, has been sentenced to life imprisonment on a similar offence.
- The Port Elizabeth Regional Court sentenced Mongameli Jojo, 34, on Friday, to life imprisonment, plus 15 years for kidnapping, raping and robbing a 14-year-old teenager who was with her siblings aged three and four.
- In 1999, Jojo was handed a five-year suspended sentence after he and his friends raped a six-year-old fellow schoolmate.
A taxi driver with a previous rape conviction has been sentenced to life imprisonment for a similar offence.
The Port Elizabeth Regional Court sentenced Mongameli Jojo, 34, on Friday, to life behind bars for raping a 14-year-old girl.
Jojo, who's a taxi driver, kidnapped, raped and robbed the victim who was a passenger in his vehicle four years ago.
Last month, in the same court, magistrate Nolitha Bara convicted Jojo on charges of rape, kidnapping and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
NPA regional spokesperson Anelisa Ngcakani said in March 2016 at around 14:00, the victim and her siblings aged three and four at the time, were travelling in a taxi driven by Jojo, from their mother's house to their grandmother's home in Port Elizabeth.
"Instead of taking them to their grandmother's house, Jojo took them to a cemetery where he raped the victim in front of her two young siblings. The little children cried helplessly during the ordeal," said Ngcakani.
The victim was also robbed of her takkies by Jojo who threatened to shoot her, although he had not produced a firearm.
"He then dropped the victim and her siblings at their grandmother's house. State prosecutor Mxolisi Bebula, urged the court to impose life imprisonment because Jojo was not a first-time offender," said Ngcakani.
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The court also heard that in October 1999, Jojo and his friends raped a six-year-old fellow schoolmate in a classroom.
Jojo was convicted for rape and sentenced to a five-year suspended sentence because he was a juvenile at the time.
Bebula described Jojo as a child rapist and said a sentence other than life imprisonment would be an injustice.
"Magistrate Nolitha Bara said Jojo did not only destroy the victim's life, but her entire family as he raped her in front of her younger siblings. Bara said Jojo showed no remorse and that it was unlikely for him to rehabilitate as he had no respect for young children," Ngcakani said.
Jojo was further sentenced to 15-years for robbery with aggravating circumstances and to three years for kidnapping.
Jojo had been in custody since March 2016 when he was arrested.
His name would also be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
